Cindy and I spend every noon watching the weather and news on the T.V. On top of the T.V. is a digital clock and we’ve gotten into the habit of watching for specific numbers. We watch for 11:11, 12:21, and 12:34. Just recently we added 1:08 to our list. Why? What is special about 108? I’m glad you asked.

To the ancient Sumerians the number 60 was special because it contained 12 “factors” and the number 12 was special…12 full moons in a normal year…12 hours of night and 12 hours of day on the equinox, etc.. To early Christians the number seven was special. Seven days in the week, the seven-year cycle of resting the land, seven times seven to get to the Year of Jubilee, and in the Book of Revelation, there are seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. However, in Hinduism and Buddhism it is not seven that is special, it is the number 108.

The Sanskrit alphabet contains 108 letters and according to Indian tradition there are 108 forms of dance. In meditation there are 36 feelings related to the past, 36 to the present and 36 to the future adding up to 108.

If you take the six senses (smell, touch, taste, hearing, sight, and consciousness) and multiply them by the three “states” (painful, pleasant, or neutral), then multiply that number by two depending upon if the “states” are generated internally or externally, and finally by the past, present and future you get…6 x 3 x 2 x 3 = 108. In Buddhist tradition at the end of the year a bell is rung 108 times to welcome in the New Year.

We can have more fun with the number 108 when we look to the universe. The Chinese say there are 108 sacred stars. In Indian vedic astronomy, there are 27 nakshatras, or sectors along the ecliptic. From earth they all appear to have a left and a right and an up and a down…four directions. 4 x 27 = 108! After that it gets “spooky”.

The diameter of the sun is approximately 865,000 miles. The diameter of the earth is approximately 8,000 miles. 865,000/8,000 = 108!

The distance from the earth to the sun is 93,000,000 miles on average. 93,000,000 miles divided by the diameter of the sun = 93,000,000/865,000 = 108!

The first manned flight into space was by Yuri Gagarin. He launched on Vostok 1 from Kazakhstan, made one complete orbit around the earth, and then returned ejecting from his capsule over Saratov, Russia. The length of his flight…108 minutes!

That’s not enough to convince you that there is something special about 108? Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. How about closer to home? It’s baseball season and baseball is America’s game even though Venezuela beat us in the World Championships this year. The “official” major league baseball used in all the games has 108 double stitches!

Still not convinced? Does the date 1908 mean anything to you? If not, it is probably because you are not a Chicago Cubs fan. In 1908, the Cubs won the World Series. They didn’t win another World Series until 2016…108 years later! Does that mean the Cub fans will have to wait until 2124 before they win the Series again? Probably!